The centering could then be removed and the arch would remain standing. The construction of domes followed the same process, but used a hemispherical timber centering. Everyone believed this was the only way to build a dome. Brunelleschi disagreed. He presented a model to the committee that was 2m wide and almost 4m high, made from 5,000 bricks, which he said had taken just over a month to complete and had been built without using centering. The claim was met with scepticism, especially since he refused to tell anyone how he had done it.
